Oct. 28, 2009

Norman – University of Oklahoma Associate Professor of Chemistry Donna Nelson recently received one of 14 National Institutes of Health 14 grants focusing on factors that influence the careers of women in biomedical and behavioral science and engineering.
Nelson received the grant for her project, “Building an Evidence Base for Developing Effective Intervention Strategies for Women.”

Nelson received approximately $1 million to carry out the fourth generation of the Nelson Diversity Surveys, which track the national demographics of tenured and tenure-track faculty in science and engineering departments at research universities.

“This is the largest grant I’ve received and the first through NIH,” said Nelson, principal investigator of the research.  “This grant will fund our survey in 2012, emphasizing biological sciences.  With those data, I will be able to track the progress of women and minorities among science careers over a 10-year span.  It has been a privilege to provide important data to help the United States achieve its goal to diversity our scientific workforce and thereby make our science industries more innovative.”

Past results have been cited by the U.S. Congress, National Science Foundation and other agencies to follow trends in women and minorities in higher education. 

The $16.8 million in NIH grants were issued in response to a 2007 National Academies report that urgently called for a broad, national effort to maximize the potential of women scientists and engineers. The report, “Beyond Bias and Barriers,” which cited previous Nelson Diversity Surveys, led to the creation of an NIH working group charged with examining the issues and addressing the challenges in supporting the advancement of women scientists and engineers.

“The National Institutes of Health is committed to building a diverse biomedical workforce,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. “Our ability to train and retain women scientists is vital to our remaining competitive in meeting today's health challenges.”

The new grants will examine many influences on women's career choices, including family and economic factors, institutional environments, and broader social and cultural issues. The career paths of underrepresented and financially disadvantaged women also will be examined, aided by Nelson’s research.

“Understanding the issues that impact the recruitment, retention, reentry and advancement of women in biomedical and behavioral science careers will help us develop strategies to assist women at critical points,” said Vivian Pinn, director of the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health and co-chair of the NIH Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers.